A facility (e.g., a building, plant, refinery, etc.) can have a Building Information Model (e.g., BIM) associated with it. The BIM can be a digital representation of the physical and/or functional characteristics of the facility, for instance. Included in the BIM can be a three-dimensional (3D) model (e.g., representation, display, etc.) of the facility. The 3D model can show the layout of the facility, including spaces (e.g., rooms). The 3D model can include a number of objects (e.g., solid shapes and/or void-space oriented) that may carry their geometry (e.g., size, shape, dimensions, etc.), relations and/or properties (e.g., name, material, producer, type, etc.). For example, objects in the BIM can represent structural portions of the facility and/or devices therein.
When the 3D model is displayed, properties of objects may be displayed therein using text annotations. Similarly, state descriptions (e.g., real-time information, such as temperature, alarm(s), occupancy, etc.) of objects can be displayed using text annotations.
Previous approaches to annotating 3D displays may fix annotations to a “floor” or a “wall” of the 3D model, for instance. However, fixed annotations may become unreadable and/or disappear entirely if the model is rotated, causing object(s) to obscure them. Additionally, previous approaches to annotating 3D displays may encounter issues associated with annotations collapsing on one another as the display is zoomed out, for example, as well as other visual continuity issues (e.g., loss of context awareness) arising from user manipulation of the model.